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Napoli punished for missing Juve game

Published:Thursday | October 15, 2020 | 12:07 AM
Referee Daniele Doveri (right) flanked by assistants Filippo Meli and Daniele Bindoni inspects the pitch of the Allianz Stadium in Turin, Italy, Sunday, October 4, 2020 ahead of the scheduled Serie A match between Juventus and Napoli.
AP
Referee Daniele Doveri (right) flanked by assistants Filippo Meli and Daniele Bindoni inspects the pitch of the Allianz Stadium in Turin, Italy, Sunday, October 4, 2020 ahead of the scheduled Serie A match between Juventus and Napoli.

MILAN (AP):

Napoli were handed a 3-0 loss by the Italian league yesterday and docked one point for not showing up for its Serie A match at Juventus because of coronavirus cases.

Napoli did not travel to Turin for the October 4 game and local health authorities ordered the squad into quarantine after two players tested positive for the coronavirus.

However, the league’s Disciplinary Commission ruled that Napoli did not have a valid reason for missing the fixture and should have followed the existing COVID-19 protocol, which was accepted by all clubs before the season began.

It said that the first orders by local health authorities on October 3 did not stop Napoli from traveling to Turin, and that the team should already have been in the northern city when new orders were issued the following afternoon.

The Italian league’s protocol for coronavirus cases is the same as UEFA rules. If a team has 13 available players, including at least one goalkeeper, the game can go ahead.